Insightful Commentary from and on the Canadian Film World

The Deadpool 2 Stunt-Death Theory

With Deadpool 2 being released, everyone seems to be discussing it. Not as much as Infinity War, mind you, but they are still discussing it anydamnway. It was one of the most intense and most-discussed shoots in the Vancouver area, and one reason is because of the accident that happened on set last year on August 14. Joi “SJ” Harris was driving a motorcycle for a stunt scene, until the bike went out of control, killing her. Now the film crew was very specific in discussing the safety and precautions over the stunt drive, yet somehow the motorcycle still crashed. What’s really interesting is the fact that she was doubling for Zazie Beetz’s character Domino, who can make luck happen in her favour. Yet, that somehow was impossible, but then it was real life and not just a movie. Nobody really knows quite all of the details into why things went awry, but I have heard a couple reasons from anonymous people on set that may have contributed to the accident.

The Motorcycle Model : The biggest possibility for the cause of the mishap (according to most people) is the type of motorcycle and how it was manufactured. The motorcycle in particular, was a Ducati. Now, those types are a little bit different. The innards are built with a slightly different system than usual. One piece in particular is the suspension, which works with a slightly different function and doesn’t fully apply properly during driving. Another possibilty is the brakes, which may have had a flaw within the calliper. For all we know, the model could have had any defect, seeing as Ducati motorcycles aren’t exactly the best brand out there. I can’t say I fully know about motorbikes myself, but this is definitely up for debate and it was one of the most discussed, as I have heard.

Uneven Grounds : This could hardly be a cause, but it’s possible the stunt route that was mapped out may have aided to the contribution of the incident. The stunt routine required Harris to drive the motorbike down some stairs at Jack Poole Plaza and then further onto the road. One possibility is riding down the stairs caused some mechanical problems within the engine, whereas some pieces may have been shaken loose. This goes back to my statement on the manufacturing of the bike, as the design is considered unreliable. But given the traction of the stairs, it probably wasn’t the safest bet to go down them as they are a bit unruly.

Circumstances : Joi Harris was not wearing a helmet when the accident happened. This could’ve been prevented if only they had managed to find a helmet that could fit other the wig she was supplied. However, due to time constraints, they could not do so. It’s natural to rush things as filmmaker types always things done FAST, but sometimes it’s important to put ALL precautions to mind when doing a shoot, specifically one that requires stunt doubles. This could’ve been slightly avoided if only they could’ve found a way to get the helmet supplied.

These are just a few possibilities of what caused this whole incident, some of which I have heard all around. Maybe there are more theories? Who knows? Will we ever find out? Maybe the real reason isn’t known. Whatever the reason, it is still unclear to this day. But that’s probably because nobody wants to fully divulge it as who knows who could be suing who should it ever get fully exposed.